Hagel officially a Spartan

February 13, 2002|By Mike Dunn

Hagel participated in a two-day clinic that was sponsored by the MSU coaches on the last Sunday of January and the first Sunday of February. Hagel impressed MSU head coach Tom Saxton enough during the clinic for Saxton to offer her a place on the Spartan roster starting next school year.

Hagel notified Saxton the next day via e-mail that she would accept his offer.

"I'm really excited," Hagel said last Thursday. "I knew the clinic was my one shot to show the coaches what I can do. I didn't know if they'd be interested or if they had a place left on the roster, but I figured I didn't have anything to lose."

Ironically, Hagel didn't think that she had done anything out of the ordinary to impress Saxton and his assistants during the clinic. But before she left after the second day, the coach called her over.

"I thought, 'Uh-oh, what's this about?'" she related with a broad smile. "Coach Saxton told me that the scholarship money for next year was already used up, but that there was a place for me on the team if I wanted to come there."

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Hagel, a striker with a deadly accurate shot who helped Gaylord to earn a trip to the Div. II quarterfinal round of the playoffs last year as a junior, had been recruited by other programs, including Ferris State University and Eastern Michigan University. She turned the others down to go to MSU.

"It's always been my dream to go there," Hagel said. "Ever since I was really young, I liked the Spartans for some reason. And when my older brother (Nick) transferred there (from Central Michigan), it just made me want to go that much more."

GHS girls soccer coach Gene Sanders is not the least bit surprised that Hagel will be playing for the Spartans.

"Michigan State is getting one of the best, if not the best, player out of northern Michigan," Sanders said. "They have an ace that they're not yet aware of. Knowing Anna, knowing her desire and her commitment and her skills, she'll impress the coaches there. There's no question in my mind that she can contribute at the Big 10 soccer level."

Hagel is most comfortable at the striker position, but is willing to play anywhere on the field. "Whatever it takes to get on the field," she said with a chuckle. "I'll play defense or midfield or striker or wherever they want."

"With her ball skills, they can put her at any position on the field," Sanders said. "Coaches love to have players with that kind of versatility and there aren't that many around. Anna is a true utility player."

Hagel has earned all-conference, all-district and all-region honors in soccer and has also shined as part of the elite Northstars team out of Petoskey. But that is not the only sport where she has made her mark. Anna also played two seasons for the Gaylord football team as the placekicker, earning all-Big North Conference honors for her efforts this past fall.

"Playing football made a big difference in how I viewed myself," she said. "I thought I was an OK athlete up to that point, but that whole football experience added another dimension. It gave me a greater appreciation for the importance of teamwork and being mentally focused. And it gave me a lot of confidence. If it wasn't for football, I don't know if I'd be getting ready to play soccer at Michigan State."

There is another aspect of football that she thinks will help her at MSU. Coach Will Cleaver's grueling two-a-day preseason practice sessions weren't fun at the time, but they'll pay dividends. "Thank God for coach and the two-a-days," she said. "They were the longest days of my life at the time, but I know they'll be a good preparation for college practices."